Comments (31 Comments)

I don’t know why the Cubs would do this deal. Volstad has a modicum of upside (he’s young and tall) but is every bit the headcase Zambrano is just in a different way. He’s got little to no confidence. One little mechanical issue gets him completely out of whack for months at a time (which gets in his head). He’s a sinkerball pitcher who gives up home runs. With Zambrano, for all his craziness (and he is completely nuts), when he’s right, he’s good. He’s still got top of the rotation stuff when his head doesn’t get in the way and he can be a horse for another year or two. Ignoring the salaries, a straight up trade would look okay for the Cubbies. Unfortunately, the way this trade works is that the Cubs are paying Zambrano a whole lot to slide into the 5th starter role for the Marlins while the Marlins are paying Volstad very little to be the 3rd or 4th guy for the Cubs. It really doesn’t make a whole lot of sense but I’m happy with it since I’m a Marlins fan. Just remember the “Curse of Big Z” in the future Cub fans.

I remember last summer when I said the Marlins should trade for Zambrano, 90% of you said “NO”.

Now you all think he will give you a title.

When you have a cancer on your club, it is hard to get rid of that cancer. Thank God for Ozzie Gullien. Miami just helped the Cubs allot. Now if we can find someone for Alfonso Soriano. Maybe we need to sick him in with the Matt Garza trade.

I don’t think Zambrano can change. His career is on the down swing. With Volstad, he is still young. Surprise the Cubs did get a MLB player for Zambrano.

What makes this Zambrano story even better for people like Juan Rodriquez and other local sports reporters, is the “head cases” that is being assembled on the Marlins. Hanley, Reyes, Logan, Ozzie and his 2 sons, and now Zambrano.

Can I give some advice here –

please keep the Gatorade cooler away from Zambrano when he is taken out of a game…..

Zambrano might be your best pinch hitter…..

Do not let Zambrano do a pre-game Home Run Derby contest…….

Carlos Zambrano will kick any players butt on that Miami team. He is the Big Dog now in that clubhouse. If he gets in it with Hanley, Zambrano will use Hanley as a floor mop.

As for Volstad, I heard he was once a Glee Club member. Nice to have a player who can sing “Take Me Out To the Ballgame”. Volstad could be our 4th or 5th team starter.

Cubs still need to trade both Garza and Dempster this year. No doubt they will get what they want from those players. Team Theo will take some lumps in the early days, but will come away with a winner down the road.

As I said yesterday, Marlin starting pitchers could win around 70 games if they stay healthy both physically and mentally. There is so much pressure on the Marlins to win now. The emotions will show if the Marlins are losing in April and May.

Can I also suggest that Owner Loria get a Dr. Melfi and a couch to be installed at the new stadium. The Marlins have collected a nice collection of head cases over the winter.

Zambrano will not be the Big Dog in the clubhouse. He’s the 5th starter and on notice. He clearly knows this since he waived a 19.25 million dollar option in order to accept the trade. Regardless of the fact that option wouldn’t have kicked in unless he finished top 4 in CY voting, Big Dogs don’t waive options of that value. Besides, there are enough guys in that clubhouse that could beat the pants off Big Z that he’ll keep his mouth shut. Hell, Guillen himself has put guys Zambrano’s size on their a$$.

Anyway, we’re not expecting him to deliver a World Series title. We’re expecting him to throw close to 200 innings and keep the team in games by giving up 4 runs or less. His job will be to help preserve the bullpen and give the team a chance to win every time out.

Zambrano may or may not be a ticking time bomb with his friend Guillen in the house (that’s why we said no last time, no Guillen to control him), but we all know Volstad was a bomb-producing machine for the other team. Volstad peaked his rookie year. The Marlins have given him too many chances, same thing they did with Andrew Miller. Rather them give a chance to someone who has a chance of getting in the top 4 for Cy Young voting, who is already friends with a manager, than to a young pitcher who hasn’t improved.

Cubs are glad they got someone like Volstad in exchange for Zambrano. A young powerful arm is better than a “nut” on the pitching mound. Volstad could be a reliever for the Cubs. Right now, Cubs pitching looks like this….

He is not a powerful arm, never was. That’s why his rookie year he had success producing ground balls. But he couldn’t get back up to that level his following years. The balls went up in the air instead of down to the ground.

Theo Epstein was weeks away of letting Zambrano go before Spring Training. According to Epstein, Zambrano did not get support from the rest of team and could no longer be trusted. In other words, they did not want to see Zambrano’s face in Arizona. It was Ozzie Gullien who called the Cubs this past week and said they would take Zambrano now. Only Kerry Wood left a message on Zambrano’s phone saying “Good luck kid”…….now Miami has the “Cancer”.

I like to remember this date Jan 4th, 2012…..that Carlos Zambrano has a 90% approval rating by Marlin Nation.

I bet any money by June 1st, that President Obama will have a higher approval rating than Carlos Zambrano will have with Marlin fans.

Cubs will visit the Marlins in mid April. Zambrano will be on the DL, not be able be around to pitch against the Cubs. Carlos will claim he has blisters on his pitching hand. Same again in July when the Marlins visit the Cubs.

Marlins are out of the Matt Garza trade. Blue Jays & Yankees also backed off in trading their prospects. It seems the Tigers, Red Sox and the Rangers are in.

Zambrano was a good player a couple of years back, if he can get back to being that player which may start with an attitude adjustment, losing weight, and a lighter workload, then the Marlins would be set with their pitching rotation, I would go as far as say it would be top 3 in the league.

The Marlins should offer Fielder 140 miillion over 9 years and see if he bites. He would make the Marlins favorites in my opinion and I would be sure that the new stadium will be full fro almost every game.

A report will come out that Cubs starting shortstop,Starlin Castro, is wanted by the Chicago Police for sexual assault on a young woman back on Oct 29th, 2011 at the Cubs apartment.

The woman said that Castro sexually assaulted her in the early morning hours after they came back from a local bar. Castro left later that day to go back home to D.R. on a schedule flight. The woman did not contact the police until after she learned Castro left Chicago.

Castro is planning to attend the Cubs Convention a few days from now. The Chicago police will await for him when his flight arrives at O’Hare airport.